A MOTOR museum has more on display than just cars to mark the Queen's 80th birthday this weekend.

Mouldsworth Motor Museum on Smithy Lane has 40 cabinets full of coronation badges dating from the reign of George VI - but many of them hail from Queen Elizabeth's time as monarch.

James Peacop, who owns the museum, said: 'We have so many designs, they are all fantastic. I was an art teacher until retirement and still a working artist, so I appreciate the craftsmanship that has gone into them all.'

The museum opened in 1971 and has been steadily collecting a range of memorabilia since then, including old pumps, signs, mascots and garage paraphernalia as well as a wide selection of vintage vehicles.

But its stock of royal badges will be the thing that regal enthusiasts will appreciate most.

The stock is housed in a 1930s Art Deco building, a former water softening plant which went out of business in 1961.

James said: 'The badges tell a story of our history, both through their regal elements and the artistic shifts in the design.

'They are all the more relevant now the Queen has reached this birthday. They will be even more important in years to come.'